The Contrast 2006

SPAMALOT, otherwise known as Monty Pythony’s Spamalot: A New Musical (Lovingly) Ripped Off from the Motion Picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail is an absurd spoof on the already absurd.

MÖTLEY CRÜE has released a newly remastered version of Take Me to the Top from the TOO FAST FOR LOVE 45th anniversary edition, available for pre-order.

On September 17th, we lost Duncan Sheik, a major composer and influence on 21st century theatre, whose music for Spring Awakening pushed the art form forward. Sheik was impressively prolific. While the headline of his theatre career may be the impactful Spring Awakening, his career was filled with over a dozen other varied and worthwhile theatrical projects, in addition to his achievements in popular music. He wrote music and sometimes lyrics for an impressive slate of musicals in addition to composing music for plays, and amassed a notable collective of collaborators on his many shows. 

The discourse surrounding reasons for reviving musicals on Broadway is a relatively recent phenomenon. These days, if a show is announced for a revival, a sentence that often follows is: “Why are they reviving it?” 

For my fourteenth birthday, I got to see High School Musical on stage, followed by a backstage tour of East High. I came home astounded that people got to make theatre for a job. It was that show that made me realise I wanted to work in theatre, so being offered the role of costume designer felt like a complete full-circle moment.

MÖTLEY CRÜE marks 45 years with a definitive deluxe limited edition of TOO FAST FOR LOVE, featuring a previously unreleased 1981 demo and music video.

Since The Lost Boys took Broadway by storm this spring, there has been much chatter about the “vampire curse” on Broadway being lifted. In the early 2000s, Broadway received a string of three vampire musicals, which all closed relatively quickly. Dance of the Vampires (2002), Dracula (2004), and Lestat (2006) each received attention in their own right, but they also received attention as a group, since it was remarkable that they came along in such quick succession. But the early 21st century wasn’t the first time vampires thirsted on Broadway. The play adaptation of Dracula was a hit all the way back in 1927 and an even bigger hit in a 1977 revival. And there have been vampires lurking in the theatre district in all sorts of other projects too…

Urbanite Theatre will present WHO IS EARTHA MAE?, a solo work created and performed by Jade Wheeler, at its Sarasota venue. Learn more about the upcoming show here!

Director Rebecca Saari and the cast and crew from Fargo Davies bring one of the most beloved stories of all time to life in Mary Poppins. This theatrical adaptation of the classic stories by P. L. Travers and the beloved Mary Poppins produced by Walt Disney premiered in London’s West End in 2004 before moving to Broadway in 2006. The show features music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, along with new songs by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

Horace High Theatre took on an ambitious and visually demanding musical with Water for Elephants, and the result was a production filled with heart, imagination, and an impressive level of artistic maturity. Blending music, movement, puppetry, and storytelling, this show leaned fully into the theatrical possibilities of the piece, and the students rose to the challenge beautifully.

The biggest issues with the musical adaptation of 'Water for Elephants' is that it doesn’t seem to know what it’s trying to be, and the choreographic and performance talent in this tour would be better served by stronger material.

The 2024 production earned seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, which I feel is an earned acknowledgment that speaks more to the craftsmanship, the ambition, and the emotional journey present in the show. The stage production’s direction, choreography, puppetry design, and ensemble synergy create moments of theatrical awe that are impossible to deny. What the songs lack in dramatic momentum, the production more than makes up for in its combination of narrative intimacy with large-scale visual storytelling.

For anyone who’s seen Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a lot of the familiar story beats remain here. However, this local production by Encore Performing Arts takes a unique approach to their mounting of this stage musical.

Bursting with powerful, beautifully-rendered musical performances and emotionally-stirring characterizations from a terrific ensemble cast, Chance Theater's incredible-sounding, fiercely-acted, deeply searing new production of SPRING AWAKENING is, according to this critic, one of the best, most satisfying productions of this musical I have seen in a while. With characters you care for and a stunning score that stays with you, the show remains a favorite. And, most of all, the show still f**king rocks.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater has announced the cast and creative team of the world premiere play Billie Jean, about sports icon and equality champion Billie Jean King.

The Cover of Life, by R.T. Robinson, is based on his family’s true story about three women and their struggle for self-worth in rural Louisiana in 1943. Tood, Weetsie and Sybill each married a Cliffert brother who are engaged in World War II. A local reporter with the Louisiana Times Picayune writes story about these young wives, which piques the interest of Life Magazine’s Henry Luce. Luce assigns Kate Miller to the story, who has been covering the war in Europe. Kate spends a week with the Cliffert women to cover their life while the men are away, and unexpectedly explores the reality of the women as they struggle to find their own identity.  The piece is so well written, with complex characters working through intricate relationships, delicious subtext, prose filled with images and powerful emotions, strong rhythm, and subtle humor.

A production to remember.

Boston Ballet to present Spring Experience, a program featuring three ambitious ballets: Jiří Kylián's Petite Mort and the Boston Ballet premiere of his 27'52”, plus the return of Mikko Nissinen's Raymonda. Spring Experience runs May 15–25 at the Citizens Opera House.

On the opening weekend of the Broadway debut of George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck, a small group of COVID-impacted NY artists offered a gesture of collective care in Manhattan's theatre district.

A juke box musical consists of pre-existing songs which are melded into a script to tell a story.  The songs, in contrast to lyrics and music, which are specifically integrated into a traditional musical’s story, don’t always smoothly transition into the juke box tale. 

The North/South Chamber Orchestra continues its 45th consecutive season on Thursday evening, February 20 when it performs a free admission event highlighting the works of Max Lifchitz, its founder and director.

Red Bull Theater has announced the cast for the next offering of Revelation Readings season: The Misanthrope by Molière, a version by Martin Crimp, directed by Marc Vietor.

SUNSET RUBDOWN will release their new album 'Always Happy to Explode,' set to release on September 20, 2024. Listen to the track 'Candles' and watch its visuals now.

Becca Stevens has unveiled a new single, “I’m Not Her.' The track is the second single from her highly anticipated forthcoming album Maple to Paper. Stevens has also joined the cast of Broadway’s ‘Illinoise.' Listen to her new single!

Sylvester Stallone stars in the greatest boxing saga of all time and triumphs as one of the most inspirational characters in cinematic history. Witness every epic, action packed fight and unforgettable moment as Rocky punches his way to the top against impossible odds when the ROCKY I-VI 4K Collection is released on July 16, 2024.